The Duke of Sussex has made the “devastating” decision to resign from his charity Sentebale amid a huge bust-up involving its chair.
Prince Harry, who established the African charity in 2006, has quit in solidarity with his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and the entire board of trustees amid “unthinkable” infighting within the organisation.
Harry and Prince Seeiso write in an extraordinary joint statement: “What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this.”
They claim “the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation”.
The two said: “Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care.”
Prince Seeiso previously described the duke as “my younger brother Mohale, the warrior”.
Sentebale has been thrown into crisis and is now the subject of a Charity Commission investigation.
Harry spent two months in the kingdom of Lesotho during his gap year when he was 19 in 2004, where he came face-to-face with Aids orphans, met other traumatised young people and visited herd boys living a harsh existence looking after cattle in remote mountain areas.
Sentebale was created to help people in Lesotho and Botswana living in poverty and those suffering from HIV and Aids.
In the joint statement they said: “Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers.
Harry during a visit to a herd boys’ school in Semonkong, Lesotho with Prince Seeiso in 2010 (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA)
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“Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity.
“Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same. It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”
It is understood that the infighting was related to fundraising plans.
Sophie Chandauka, the chair of the trustees, has since released a bombshell statement that also took aim at those who “play the victim card”.
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See also: Who is Sophie Candauka?
In a statement to the Mail Online, Ms Chandauka claims to have “blown the whistle”, and pointed to a “cover up” at the organisation.
“My actions are guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means,” her statement read.
“There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct.
“Discerning readers will ask themselves: why would the Chair of the Board report her own Trustees to the Charity Commission? Why would the High Court of England and Wales accept her application to hear the matter at all if the case had no merit?
“Well, because beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the coverup that ensued. I could be anyone.”
The Charity Commission added: “We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”
